A Heart Ablaze
by Miss Hal Gibson
Summary: "You couldn't have saved them." Numerous people had told him that, but he still didn't believe it. He knew in his heart it was a lie.


**AN: This is a oneshot that popped into my head today on the way to school. It's a tragedy in its purest form, and I truly enjoyed writing it.**

**The Chipmunks, Dave, and Vinny all belong to Ross Bagdasarian and Janice Karman. Thanks for reading!**

**-WARNING: This story contains character death. -  
><strong>

* * *

><p><em>'It's my fault. It's all my fault.' <em>Painful memories flashed through Alvin Seville's mind as he sat on one of the benches in the large church that was merely a few miles from the place he had once called home.

The air stank of flower scented perfume. That smell was awful, and would forever be associated with death.

He looked around him; almost everyone had ever known was there. They were crying, every one of them. Family, friends, Dave's co-workers. No one tried to hide their tears, and with good reason.

Alvin's glassy blue eyes moved to the front of the large room, over the crowds of people, and landed on two child-sized coffins at the front of the room. It was a closed-casket viewing, as one of the two bodies was burned beyond recognition.

It had been nearly a week since that fateful night, but Alvin couldn't get the images out of his head. They were as vivid as they had been when they were actually occurring, and it terrified him.

He could still hear the screaming. Theodore's high-pitched, terrified shout echoed in his mind, as did the sound of rubble falling, wood cracking.

_"You couldn't have saved them."_ Numerous people had told him that, but he still didn't believe it. He knew in his heart it was a lie.

* * *

><p>It had been a cold January night. Dave had left the boys home alone, but only for a little over an hour. He would be back just half an hour after their bedtime.<p>

No one expected the house to catch on fire. No one realized there were people out there who wanted to kill the three tiny celebrities that lived there, who were known and loved by millions.

It was arson. Someone had set fire to the Seville home in an attempt to murder the children that lived there. They still hadn't found the criminal.

* * *

><p>Alvin walked to the front of the church and stroked the wood of one of the small caskets that that held two of the most important people in his life: his little brothers.<p>

He almost wished he would have died with them that night. But he couldn't do that to Dave. The poor man was already broken.

Alvin looked over to see him putting on a brave face and speaking to one of their guests. It was easy to tell that he was in pain. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked nearly twenty years older than he actually was. This week had been hard on him.

Alvin looked over to his mother, Vinny, who was sitting on a bench quietly sobbing into her hands. She had barely gotten to know her children, and now she'd lost them. It must have been devastating.

Alvin walked over to her, prepared to comfort as best as he could, although he knew he would most likely be the one who needed comforting.

When Vinny noticed him coming towards her she opened her arms and he practically ran into her loving embrace. Being in his mother's arms brought on a whole new flood of emotions for Alvin, and tears flowed freely down his furry cheeks.

The small boy buried his face in his mother's chest, not even attempting to hide his sobbing. A few people in the church looked over at the scene. Even the darkest heart couldn't help but break at the scene.

* * *

><p>Alvin had yet to fall asleep that night. Simon and Theodore, on the other hand, were well into dreamland. It had only been fifteen minutes since they had gone to bed, but the three of them had a concert the day before, so they were exhausted.<p>

Despite that fact, Alvin couldn't bring himself to even close his eyes. He couldn't keep his mind from drifting.

He couldn't really say he had a bad feeling, but he couldn't say he didn't, either.

As Alvin lay in bed that dark, cloudy night, he could have sworn he smelled something. It was faint, but it smelled like smoke.

The odor wasn't strong enough to wake someone who had been asleep, but since Alvin was wide-awake he could definitely smell it.

The scent was growing stronger by the second. Something was very, very wrong.

The red-clad chipmunk did nothing. He just continued to lie in his bed, thinking he was imagining it.

The smoke was definitely not a figment of his imagination, however, and soon it would pour from under their bedroom door.

* * *

><p>The moment Alvin saw the smoke he shook his brothers awake and pulled them out of their beds. They arose from the floor and smelled the smoke instantly.<p>

Alvin pulled them to the door, not even giving Simon the chance to grab his glasses. The door wasn't hot, thankfully, so the three boys scurried out of the room quickly.

It was much different from the time they had pretended to be firefighters and became trapped in a burning building. They had been safe because of Simon's quick thinking that time.

But Simon was nearly helpless without his glasses, and he and Theodore were both half asleep.

Alvin was the only one who could think and see clearly at the moment, so he led his brothers, their hands clasped, under the smoke.

* * *

><p>He could hear Theodore crying behind him, and he could feel Simon's tight grip on his hand. They were the only things keeping him going. He had to save his brothers.<p>

Simon had always been the mature, responsible one, but Alvin was the oldest. And as such, it was natural instinct for him to jump into action when his siblings were in true danger.

When the boys were just about to reach the stairs Alvin heard a thud behind him.

"Theodore!" He heard Simon shout their youngest brother's name before he felt his hand pull away.

* * *

><p>Alvin turned around. Simon and Theodore had disappeared into the smoke. He went back and felt around, finding nothing.<p>

Suddenly he heard coughing. He followed the sound to find his brothers trudging along. Simon was having a coughing fit, but he still held onto his younger brother's hand and pulled him down the long hallway.

Alvin grabbed Simon's free hand and pulled them along faster. He took a quick glance at the taller chipmunk's face. Simon's eyes were glazed over and unfocused, he appeared to be barely holding on to his consciousness, and he was still coughing.

Alvin forced himself to turn away and look in the direction they were heading, his own eyes filled with panic and fear.

* * *

><p>They were halfway down the stairs now, and the boys could see the bright flames ablaze in almost the entire lower half of their house. They hadn't reached the living room yet, so there was a clear path to the door.<p>

To Alvin everything finally seemed like it was going to be alright. Since they were almost out he let go of Simon's hand. It was a tragic mistake.

When Alvin reached the foot of the staircase he heard a loud crash and a bone-chilling scream.

The charred stairs had caved under Theodore's weight, and he had fallen several feet down, nearly pulling Simon along with him.

Alvin shot back up what was left of the stairs, tears as well as smoke clouding his vision.

He grabbed his remaining brother's arm and pulled him the rest of the way down the stairs.

Simon was in a state of panic that was quite unusual for the level-headed chipmunk. He was hyperventilating, inhaling much more smoke than he should. Alvin had to get him out of there, and fast.

* * *

><p>When they had gotten outside and far enough from the burning house the two remaining Seville brothers collapsed. They had made it, but Theodore was still in there. Dead or alive, they didn't know.<p>

The realization hit Alvin like a ton of bricks. Theodore was probably dead. There's no way he could survive that.

Alvin was shaking with fear. He heard Simon coughing again, but paid it no mind. He was too busy watching their home burn to the ground.

When he did finally look at his brother he discovered the other boy had finally lost consciousness. He was lying on the ground, completely limp.

Alvin pulled him into his arms as he heard sirens approaching. He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>Simon didn't even make it to the hospital. His lungs gave out; he'd inhaled far too much smoke. He died on the ambulance, just minutes from the hospital.<p>

By the time they pulled Theodore out of the rubble his body was so charred he was unrecognizable. He was, needless to say, gone.

It wasn't known whether he had been burned alive or if he had died during the fall, but Alvin prayed that it was the latter. The thought of his sweet baby brother suffering such a cruel fate was more than he could bear.

Alvin had survived with nothing more than a scratch and a minor burn. He inhaled a bit of smoke, but not nearly as much as Simon had.

* * *

><p>People kept telling him how lucky he was, but in his opinion, he was the most unlucky person in the world. He had lost the two people dearest to him, and it was his fault. If he hadn't let go of Simon's hand they might both still be alive.<p>

The small table that sat behind the coffins was covered with framed photographs, happy memories from the past.

Alvin wanted to remember those happy times, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the memories from the fire out of his mind.

* * *

><p>The chipmunk slowly got up out of his mother's embrace and walked back to the front of the room and observed the photographs, one in particular.<p>

It was when they were all at the beach last summer. Alvin was splashing Simon, who was on the shore observing seashells (he always refused to go in the water, for reasons unknown to Alvin). Simon looked angry, and Theodore was laughing at Alvin's usual mischief as he floated in his yellow inner tube. It was a happy memory, but it still didn't overshadow the painful one that had forever left a scar in Alvin's heart.

* * *

><p>By the time Alvin took his eyes off of the photograph the church was nearly empty, only Dave remained. He was watching Alvin with sad but curious eyes.<p>

"Time to go, Alvin." The man said, not bothering to hide the despair in his voice anymore.

"Hold on, Dave." Alvin looked up at his father, his eyes begging him to let him stay a moment longer. "I want to say goodbye."

Dave nodded sadly and left the sanctuary to give Alvin some privacy.

* * *

><p>Alvin looked over to the coffin on his left and lifted the lid. It was quite heavy, but he still was able to lift it.<p>

Inside the coffin, clad in a dark blue suit, was Simon. He had a new pair of glasses on, as Dave couldn't stand to bury him without any, Simon wouldn't have wanted that.

Alvin peered down at him, a fresh wave of tears cascading down his cheeks. He placed a gentle kiss on Simon's cold forehead before closing the casket.

He turned to the other coffin on his right. Theodore lay inside, but Alvin could never see him. Seeing his baby brother so burned and battered would simply kill him. So he softly kissed the lid of the coffin before backing away from the both of them.

"You know, guys..I always thought I'd be the first to d-die.." He sniffled before letting out a small chuckle and wiping his eyes. "You were always so careful, Simon. And both of you were the 'good kids.'" A small sob escaped him. "A-anyway..you guys were the best brothers a kid could ask for." He bit his lip, no longer bothering to wipe away his tears.

He was glad no one could see him like this. Little did he know, Dave was watching him from the doorway.

"I..I just wanted to say g-goodbye." Alvin removed his brand-new red baseball cap and wrung it in his hands. Dave had surprised him with it while he was still in the hospital. It was a sweet gesture, but it didn't make either of them feel any better.

* * *

><p>He looked back up at the coffins that sat before him. The whole scene was eerily beautiful.<p>

There were white flowers scattered around them, and the sun shining through the stained glass windows of the church created bright, colorful patterns on the coffins themselves and the floor surrounding them.

Alvin stared at them for a moment, taking in their beauty, before smiling a sad smile and finishing his sentence. "I'll always love you."

* * *

><p><strong>Boy, that was depressing. <strong>**I hope this was enjoyable to someone. It's the longest oneshot I've ever written, it took up ten pages in my notebook. Also, this is not a funeral, it's a viewing. I realize viewings normally take place in funeral homes, but I wanted this one to take place in a church. Thanks for reading! **


End file.
